By Donald Wagner | – See Journeyman Pictures documentary – Informed Comment . ( Electronic Intifada) – The US withdrawal from Afghanistan marks the end of the latest in a long list of disastrous American military interventions. A quick review of the past 50 years reveals a dismal pattern of American betrayal and lack of […]
Archives for September 2021
Unemployment Insurance Isn’t Holding Back the Economy. Inequality Is.
By Rebekah Entralgo | – An estimated 9 million Americans got the rug pulled out from under them over Labor Day weekend as enhanced pandemic federal unemployment benefits expired, leaving millions of families in the lurch during a record-breaking season for COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Some 35 million people — nearly 1 in 10 Americans […]
What does the future hold for Middle Eastern states?
By Mohamad Moustafa Alabsi | – From independence until the advent of the Arab Spring, Middle Eastern states have suffered due to their constituting principle, a notion that can be traced back to the motivations and arrangements of former colonial powers. Independence may have satisfied the demands of the region’s inhabitants for autonomy, Arabness and […]
UN: Earth heading to 16% Increase in Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2030, Risking Climate Instability
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A United Nations study of the greenhouse gas reduction targets announced by the 191 signatories to the Paris Convention has come up with an alarming result. If countries follow through on their stated plans, greenhouse gas emissions will actually rise. In 2025, they will be 15.8% higher than in 2010 […]
Tunisia: President’s Repressive Policies Abrogate Rights: Dozens Placed Under Arbitrary House Arrest (HRW)
Human Rights Watch (Tunis) – Arbitrary and politically motivated acts of repression have proliferated in Tunisia since July 25, 2021, when President Kais Saied suspended parliament, Human Rights Watch said today. He also lifted parliamentary immunity, dismissed the head of government, and took control of the office of the public prosecutor. Three parliament members have […]
Was Sabra and Shatila a genocide?
By Donald Wagner | – ( Electronic Intifada) – The US withdrawal from Afghanistan marks the end of the latest in a long list of disastrous American military interventions. A quick review of the past 50 years reveals a dismal pattern of American betrayal and lack of accountability leaving behind suffering and failed states. We […]
The Trump Albatross around Joe Biden’s Neck
( Foreign Policy in Focus) – The far right would like to impeach Joe Biden, kick him out of the White House, perhaps even throw him in jail. “Lock him up” has been a predictable chant at Trump rallies going back to before the 2020 election. Even Republicans in Congress have joined this chorus. Bipartisanship? […]
Habib Satire and Marvel Superheroes: Using Comedy to Combat Stereotyping of Arabs
By Safiyya Hosein | – As a researcher of Muslim superheroes, I’ve learned about the many ways Islamophobia manifests. Because Islam is racialized in the west, Arab Christians, Hindus and Sikhs have been implicated in Islamophobic political discourses, making them victims of Islamophobia. Many of these issues can be traced back to a strange convergence […]
In Turning Point for US Media, Time Recognizes Palestinians Mohammed and Muna El-Kurd as among 100 “Most Influential”
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In what may be a turning point for American media, Time magazine has chosen twin Palestinian activists from the endangered East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, Mohammed and Muna el-Kurd, as among the 100 most influential people in 2021. "Through online posts and media appearances, sibling activists Mohammed (@m7mdkurd) and Muna […]